‘Incredible role model’ friends in bid to help raise £3.5m
Youngsters Lennie and Tobias are going all-out with challenges to fundraise for their school’s new centre
THEY HAVE both reached the dizzy heights of viral fame for their fundraising efforts during the lockdown.
And now the families of eightyear-old pianist Lennie Street and nine-year-old ‘Captain’ Tobias Weller have spoken of how much the “wonderful” school they have raised a combined £70,000 for means to them.
Paces, a special school in Sheffield, is currently raising £3.5m to build a new school to replace the run-down building it currently uses.
And two of its inspirational pupils have taken it upon themselves to help the school reach its target – with both amassing Facebook fans and Twitter followers in their hundreds as their efforts capture the hearts of the public. Inspired by Captain Tom Moore, Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, hit national headlines when he challenged himself to walk the distance of a marathon.
He is now on his second major challenge, his ‘‘Tobiathlon’’, using a race runner, a custombuilt trike without pedals, to run a marathon and add to the more than £132,000 he has already raised, which will be split between Paces and Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity.
Tobias’s mother, Ruth Garbutt, from Sheffield, said: “It’s been
hard for him to get used to the trike, but it has allowed him to run for the first time in his life. Originally he only wanted to walk 1km but he has been so stimulated by the attention he’s been getting. Once he finished the challenge it felt natural to do something else.”
Tobias has attended Paces, a specialist centre, school and charity which supports children and adults with neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and brain injury, since the age of three.
“It has made an absolutely enormous difference to us as a family,” Ms Garbutt, 51, said. “It’s not just a physical difference, it’s the ‘can do and crack on’ attitude. The current accommodation is woefully inadequate and they deserve a new building that suits all their needs.”
Paces is currently supporting 78 families but demand for its service continues to grow.
Over the past three years it has had to turn away almost
100 families who wish to access the school but this could change with the new building, which will be at the Advanced Manufacturing Park, just off the Sheffield Parkway.
It will offer a 64-place school, 12-place adult day centre, a session programme supporting more than 100 adults a week, a state of the art hydrotherapy pool and overnight assisted living facility for 20 people.
For Lennie’s mother, Sally Street, 46, of Morley, Leeds, the chance to help even more children was part of the reason the family wanted to support the new build project.
She said: “We are so grateful that we’ve had access to a place like Paces. It’s like nothing else – there’s no limits and each child is pushed to reach their potential.”
Lennie has raised more than £9,000 by performing songs from Justin Bieber to The Beatles on his piano, attracting a host of celebrity fans, including Chris Kamara and Johnny Vegas.
Ms Street said: “For most things in life, Lennie needs support – music is the one thing that’s all about him. The support he’s been getting during his challenge has been wonderful for his self-esteem and confidence.”
It has made such an enormous difference to us as a family.
Tobias Weller’s mother Ruth Garbutt.